September 2009 Newsletter
Hello, and welcome to our September 2009 newsletter. Can you believe it’s September already? I’m back from speaking at the ISAR conference in Chicago in late August. My lecture was well received, and I was glad to see some of you there.
The planets are fittingly busy in solar Virgo, the sign of personal growth, wholeness, and craftsmanship:
1. Transiting Mercury is retrograde from Sept. 6-29, from 6 Libra back to 22 Virgo. For those of you new to astrology, Mercury rules communication of all kinds, learning, teaching, details, transportation, commerce, and devices we use to work with anything Mercury rules. It also rules how your mind works, what you notice, how you process information. When Mercury is retrograde, that which it rules tends to go “backwards.” It’s a good idea to double check all details, get tracking numbers, etc. It’s also wise to review information or edit material rather than act upon it or begin a Mercury-ruled project.
Working Intentionally With Mercury
Join Steven for an extended look at the planet Mercury. Extending the ideas from his Purifying the Three Poisons lecture, you'll learn how to work intentionally with Mercury energy. As always, Steven describes both the high-functioning Mercury as well as the low, so that you can identify the patterns and steer things in the right direction.
Includes a look at the astronomical nuts and bolts, high and low response to the planet, Mercury and omens, natal Mercury retrograde, and the planet's developmental focus. Also included are detailed examples and extended discussion of Mercury in each of these signs: Aries, Sagittarius, Cancer, Pisces, and Taurus.
2. There is an transiting Saturn-Uranus partile (exact) opposition on the 15th at 25 Virgo (Saturn) – Pisces (Uranus). We are in a pattern of five oppositions of these planets:
*on 11/04/08 at 19 Virgo (Saturn) -Pisces (Uranus)
* on 2/5/09 at 20 Virgo-Pisces
*the one mentioned above, on 09/15/09 at 25 Virgo-Pisces
*on 4/24/2010 at 29 Virgo-Pisces
* on 7/26/2010 at 1 Libra-Capricorn
Transiting Uranus galvanizes whatever planet or point it is aspecting, and whatever house it is passing through in your birthchart. It asks you to overhaul and transform these areas, particularly where you may have been clinging to traditions, habits, fears and restrictive conservatism about them. The more “trapped” you have felt here, the more acutely you may feel this Uranian call to progress and freedom. To work well with these transits, you must use the Uranian virtue of *being fully yourself*–not someone else’s idea of you, and not a living symbol of “the Revolution” at the expense of your own identity. Transiting Saturn asks you for a realistic and objective assessment of what is and is not working about whatever planet or point it is aspecting, and about whatever house it is passing through in your birthchart. It asks you to use the Saturnian virtues of good reality-testing and shrewd consistent effort to make a concrete, practical change of whatever isn’t working for you.
Reflect on this opposition on the 15th, and remember you don’t have to figure it out yesterday. Two more partile oppositions are still ahead. Don’t stall in a way that could end up hurting you (too much Saturn), and don’t rush blindly ahead without thinking things through (too much Uranus) about what structures you might want to keep or change rather than just tear down.
Transiting Uranus in Pisces
2-for-1 special! Get two lectures on the transit of Uranus in Pisces. Uranus transited Pisces for most of the decade of the 2000s. That made its transits to individual birthcharts a whole different beast. Very few counseling astrologers on the earth today had any practical experience working with this unique energy. Join Steven for a practical look at how our basic Uranian theory adapts to Piscean reality.
3. There is a Pluto station (going direct) at 2 Capricorn on Sept 11th. Because Pluto has a slow orbit, this station lasts a long time, from Aug 5-Oct 17. A stationary planet is strong, and has a very powerful effect both natally and by transit. Matters ruled by that planet are emphasized. In Pluto’s case, that would be psychological “shadow” and “underworld” material, power vs. powerlessness, death and transformation, sexuality, psychic awareness, our deepest wounds and greatest fears. If transiting Pluto is aspecting one of your natal planets or points, it’s asking you to face those wounds and fears as much as you can, and you’ll feel that more intensely during the station. Whatever natal house it’s transiting is undergoing a slow and deep transformation, which is intensified during the station.
Pluto Transits
In astrological circles - especially evolutionary ones - the lore around transits of Pluto takes on almost mythic proportions. Holding in mind that all transits are opportunities for integration, we'll look at the lessons Pluto brings and how we can respond with conscious intention.
Steven outlines the core meaning and function of Pluto when transiting the natal chart. Includes a look at Oprah Winfrey's chart.